Wing slot seal

Abstract

A low cost, lightweight frangible wing slot seal can be applied to a guidance wing slot of a folding fin aerial rocket or missile, providing a barrier against exposure of internal missile components to external contaminants, while allowing unhindered deployment of missile guidance wings simply by bursting through the seals. The simple design is nearly foolproof, and has no impact the likelihood of weapon. failure. The seal is a flexible sheet which is sufficiently thin so as not to exceed the required volume envelope of the missile. The sheet includes a burst seam, which is breached when impacted by the leading edge of a deploying wing. No additional wing deployment force is required, and after deployment the seal has minimal impact on the aerodynamic performance of the wing.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 321,816, filed Apr. 7, 2010, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST[0002]The invention was made with United States Government support under Contract No. W31P4Q-06-C-0330 awarded by the Navy. The United States Government has certain rights in this invention.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0003]The invention relates to ballistic weaponry, and more particularly to folding fin aerial rockets and missiles.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0004]Aerial rockets and missiles which include guidance wings have been in use at least since the late 1940's, with the FFAR (Folding Fin Aerial Rocket) being used in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, and the more recent Hydra 70 family of WAFAR (Wrap-Around Fin Aerial Rocket) and the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon. System (APKWS) laser guided missile. The guidance wings for these weapons are typically folded ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a wing slot seal for a rocket or missle that is low cost, lightweight, and strong enough to resist rupture or dislodgement from the exterior but provides a frangible barrier against exposure of internal components to external contaminants. The seal allows for simple deployment of the wing through the frangible seal by bursting it open. The flexible sheet remains substantially flush against the deployed wing and does not significantly impact the aerodynamics of the rocket or missile. The puncture feature allows for easy separation of the wing from the seal during deployment. The burst seam and adhesive layer ensure the seal remains in place over the wing slot while the guidance wing breaks through it. The seal also inhibits penetration of moisture through the wing slot and can be easily attached to the rocket or missle at a desired location with a desired alignment.

Problems solved by technology

While foldable wing designs provide the advantages of compact storage and reduced launcher size, the slots in the fuselage required for deployment of the wings tend to create a hazard that internal components of the weapon will be exposed to contaminants.

The internal components can also be exposed to induced contaminants, such as debris from an adjacent rocket launch, and contaminants resulting from handling of the missile.

However, such mechanisms add weight and cost to the missile, take up space which may be needed for other components, and tend to be complex and prone to failure.

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